In today’s InternetRetailing newsletter, we’re reporting on some key areas of retail focus. We’re looking at how Tesco is focusing on customer service, how Boohoo, Missguided and Amazon are improving their logistics offer, at how Zalando views innovation, and at how JD.com and Farfetch are teaming up with a focus on luxury ecommerce. All, from operations and logistics to innovation and customer service, are critical issues for retailers looking to ensure they can compete in a fast-changing retail environment that prioritises the needs of the customer.
But we’re also reporting on one issue that doesn’t as yet seem to be a key issue for retailers. That’s the retail effect on Brexit, a year on. According to research, many retailers have yet to start thinking about this – but it’s having an effect nonetheless on ecommerce spending nonetheless, most likely as shoppers feel less confident about the future.
Retail organisations are taking up the cause. The BRC, for one, is campaigning for a fair deal for consumers as a result of Brexit. It’s an issue that retailers will need to engage with further along as we get closer to spring 2019, when this country is set to leave the EU. At InternetRetailing we’ll be watching with interest to see what changes that brings. Will retailers move operations to Europe? Will they turn their European warehousing operations into secondary headquarters that give them a foothold inside the union? How will international strategies develop in the light of imminent departure? Is trade simply global now, and does European-ness matter less? These are all questions we’ll no doubt be returning to often over the months to come.
Today’s guest comment comes from eCommera’s Annabel Thorburn, with a timely take on whether the future for brands lies in being a retailer.
Webinars
Find out more about upcoming InternetRetailing webinars and register for free on the InternetRetailing webinar page. You can also catch up with past webinars on the page: recent sessions have come from IBM Watson on using AI to improve the customer experience, and from SmartFocus and The Entertainer on using social to reach digital customers.
